What Is Surface Damage in Pokémon Card Grading?

Of the four grading categories (centring, corners, edges, surface), surface is the one that catches collectors off guard most often. You can check corners and edges fairly easily, and centring is obvious. But surface damage can be almost invisible to the naked eye and still cost you significant grading points.

Types of Surface Damage

Scratches: The most common surface issue. These can be micro-scratches from handling, sleeve insertion, or contact with other cards. On holographic cards, scratches catch the light and become visible when you tilt the card. On non-holo areas, they're harder to spot but show up under magnification.

Print lines: Factory defects that appear as thin lines running across the card surface. They're part of the card's original condition and graders treat them the same as any other surface imperfection. Print lines are particularly common on certain print runs and some sets are worse than others.

Ink spots or missing ink: Small dots of excess ink or areas where ink didn't transfer properly during printing. These are factory defects but they affect the grade.

Dents or pressure marks: Indentations in the card surface caused by pressure. These can come from stacking cards without protection, pressing too hard when writing on a surface with cards underneath, or from storage in holders that compress the card.

Silvering: Occurs on dark-bordered cards where the foil layer shows through at the edges. It looks like a silver or grey line along the card border and is technically a surface/edge combined issue.

How to Check for Surface Damage

The best method is the "light tilt" test. Hold the card under a bright, direct light source (a desk lamp works well). Slowly tilt the card through various angles, watching the surface reflection change. Scratches will appear and disappear as you change the angle because they catch the light differently from the surrounding surface.

For holographic cards, watch the holo pattern as you tilt. Scratches create interruptions in the holographic effect. They'll look like thin dark or light lines that don't move with the holographic pattern.

Surface Issues You Can't Fix

All surface damage is permanent. There is no way to buff out scratches, fill in dents, or repair print lines without altering the card (which would result in it being flagged during grading). Accept the surface condition as it is and let the grade reflect reality.